1. Hillary Rodham Clinton managed a marathon day before the House Benghazi panel defending herself against Republican attempts to blame her for the deaths of four diplomatic workers in Libya. Little new information was revealed in a hearing that went, with breaks, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

2. Republicans on the panel pressed Mrs. Clinton on why she had not increased security at the Benghazi outpost, but also fell into bickering. Trey Gowdy, the panel’s leader, above left, ended up in a heated exchange with a Democrat, Elijah Cummings, right, over why Mr. Gowdy would not release the deposition of a Clinton confidant, Sidney Blumenthal.

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3. President Obama also deepened his struggle with congressional Republicans, wielding a rare veto on a defense bill that would bar the closing of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. “My message to them is simple,” he said. “Let’s do this right.”

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CreditZach Gibson/The New York Times

4. Paul D. Ryansaid that he would seek to replace John A. Boehner as House speaker after two factions of the House Republicans — one small and moderate, one mainstream and large — endorsed him, bringing him close to securing the speaker’s gavel he had never wanted to seek.

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5. One of the largest auto recalls in U.S. history may expand. Federal regulators said they were widening the investigation into Takata’s defective airbags to include all model years and those installed on the sides of vehicles, not just facing the front seats. “We’re looking at how far the scope needs to go,” a U.S. official said.

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CreditAndrew Medichini/Associated Press

6. The Vatican quickly denied an Italian newspaper report that Pope Francis had a brain tumor, but the torrent of rumor-mongering threatened to overwhelm a contentious meeting bringing together Roman Catholic bishops from around the world to discuss divorce, homosexuality and the role of women. The timing set off speculation that the episode was engineered to undermine the pope’s ability to press a liberalizing agenda.

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CreditRichard Drew/Associated Press

7. U.S. stocks closed sharply higher after encouraging earnings reports from McDonald’s, eBay and others, and the head of the European Central Bank said a stimulus program could be expanded.

The Dow was up 1.9 percent, and the S.&P. 500 and the Nasdaq both rose 1.7 percent.

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CreditCharles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

8. The Mets returned to Joyville, uh, New York City to catch their breath after sweeping the Chicago Cubs for the National League pennant and their first World Series berth since 2000. The Kansas City Royals could become their American League challenger with a win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

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CreditPool photo by Diego Azubel

9. China intends to honor one of the world’s most enduring dictators, the Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, with its version of the Nobel Peace Prize. The choice of a leader condemned by Western governments is a reminder of the roots of the Confucius Peace Prize — a rejoinder to the award of the Nobel to a Chinese dissident in 2010.

11. The problems of the Middle East reached Europe in other ways, as well. Secretary of State John Kerry met with the Israeli prime minister in Berlin to try to halt the latest cycle of violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas and Palestinian leaders for inciting attacks that have killed eight Israeli Jews. Israeli forces have killed at least 50 Palestinians.

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12. Migration was a big factor in ancient history, too. A new study reset the timeline for the Black Death, saying the microbe that killed scores of millions in the Middle Ages was found as far back as 5,000 years ago. Researchers said mass deaths in the Bronze Age made room for newcomers from the east.